Shirley Elmeree Smith Knavel Hamel

HAMEL Shirley Elmeree Smith Knavel Hamel of East Conemaugh, Pennsylvania, passed away from the complications of Diabetes on Monday, November 27, 2006 at Henrico Doctors' Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. She was born in 1925 in East Conemaugh, a suburb of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Her parents and four sisters predecease her. A sister, Erma McKendrie of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, survives her. Shirley Hamel is survived by two beloved daughters, April Berry of Hanover, Pennsylvania, and Michelle Richardson of Roanoke, Virginia; and a son, Lt. Colonel, Randy Hamel USAF (Ret.) of Richmond, Virginia. A grandmother of five, she has been a perfect model for her children and for her grandchildren. She will be remembered forever, in our hearts, in our minds, and in our souls. A resident of Henrico County for 43 years, she was the wife of Dr. Dana B. Hamel, Founding Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System. Married at the end of World War II, Dana Hamel characterized his wife as a superior mother and grandmother. Her support during the development of the Virginia Community College System was unbounding and credited her with providing unusual inspiration and consistent encouragement during trying and difficult times. The Cremation and Burial Society of Virginia will handle her body, and a memorial service will be announced at a later time. The family asks in lieu of flowers and memorials, that friends consider making donations to the American Diabetes Association.